Coming Home
by aolande1
Summary: Kate gets released from the hospital and Castle goes home with her to help her recover. One-shot.


A/N: Here's just a little something I came up with. It's just a one-shot. I hope there isn't anything out there already like it. I hope you enjoy it! Feel free to let me know what you think when you are done :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.

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><p>It had been two weeks since her surgery. Even though the bullet had gone straight through, it left fragments scattered throughout her chest cavity. The surgery was successful and the doctors were able to remove all the fragments from her body.<p>

With all the morphine pumping through her body, it had taken her a few days to wake up from the surgery. Lanie and the boys had visited regularly. As much as they wanted to stay with Kate, they had to get back to the precinct and work on finding the person who had put the bullet through her. Jim Beckett had stayed until she had finally woken up and then decided to visit his daughter every day around noon.

And then there was Castle. He had also stayed until she had woken up. And upon her refusal to let him sleep in the hospital for the remainder of her stay, he came back every morning as early as visiting hours would allow and stayed until they asked him to leave.

The first couple of days were rough. Castle sat next to her bed, with her hand in his, and watched as she drifted in and out of consciousness. As time went by and she got stronger, he thought of more ways to keep her entertained. He brought playing cards which they would play for hours. Their favorite games being Go Fish and Crazy Eights. Those games didn't require too much physical or mental exertion.

And after they would tire of playing card games he would turn on the television mounted on the wall across from her bed and they would watch Maury, Ellen and Temptation Lane. Sometimes he would bring his laptop with him and he would work on the latest Nikki Heat novel while she would watch the shows that made up daytime television.

When she was finally given word that she could go home she was elated. She was so sick of the hospital. The way it looked. The way it smelled. And the food. She couldn't wait to get back to her apartment, her life.

The doctor had advised that she stay with some family while she finished recovering. Her dad offered up his place, but since he only lived in a tiny one bedroom, she kindly thanked him and refused. Castle had offered up his place telling her that she could stay in the guest suite. He also promised to wait on her hand and foot and that she would have anything that she would need.

"Castle, that's really sweet of you to offer, but I think I just want to go back to my apartment and sleep in my own bed," she told him as she sat on the bed and finished getting dressed. Her dad had brought her a change of clothes for her to wear home.

"Kate, you shouldn't be alone. You're recovering. Even the doctor said you should stay with somebody for a few days," he insisted as he helped her get off the bed.

"Castle, really. I'll be fine," she assured him as she took one last look at the hospital room that had been her home for the last two weeks.

"Why don't you let Rick stay with you at your place for a few days," Jim Beckett proposed. "That way you will be in your own place but he will be there just in case you need anything." Jim knew his daughter was stubborn and there was no way she would agree to stay at Castle's place so he thought this would be the next best thing that would make both of them happy.

"That's a great idea," Rick said a little too quick for Kate's taste. "I promise I'll stay out of your way. You won't even know I'm there," he finished giving her his signature grin.

"Fat chance of that," Kate said looking between him and her father.

She sighed, "You're not going to let this go are you?" she asked looking once more at Rick.

"Nope," Rick answered shaking his head. "I'm not going to leave you alone two weeks after being shot. So you might as well just say I can stay with you. Otherwise I'm going to bring the tent I got Alexis for her eighth birthday and my sleeping bag and camp outside your door." He wasn't sure if he would actually do that, but he figured if he listed some extremes she would give in and let him be with her while she recovered.

Kate shook her head and bit her lip in hopes of hiding her smile, "You're intolerable. Fine. You can stay with me for a few days while I get back on my feet. But only a few days," she warned as she noticed the nurse bring in the wheelchair.

"Okay. It'll be fun. Just think of it this way: It'll be like having a slumber party," Rick said with a huge grin.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Kate let out as she sat down in the wheelchair again fighting to suppress her smile. She new it probably would be fun. She didn't really want to be alone. There was a part of her, maybe even all of her, that did want Castle to be the one to take care of her if someone had to.

When the taxi dropped them off in front of her apartment, Rick helped her out of the car and paid the driver. He placed his arm gently around her waist and was prepared to walk her to the door when he felt her tense.

"C'mon, Kate. You're going to have to lean on me a little," he said against her hair as he gently pulled her forward towards the door.

"I know. It's just, I'm not good at needing people, Castle," she let out in a quiet voice as she followed his lead towards her building.

"I know," he replied. "And I'm not going to push it, but I am going to wait on you. You're weak still. You may not think so or you may not want to admit it, but Kate, you are. And until you're stronger, I'm going to be here," he said in a more serious tone than he had had with her all morning.

All she could do was nod. She would never admit it, but if felt good to know that he would be there for her. She wouldn't be alone.

As the elevator doors opened, Rick again put his arm around her waist and supported her to her door. He took the key that her dad had given him before they left the hospital and opened her door. Not once did he break his protective hold on her.

He opened her door and they walked inside. He led her to her couch and sat her down gently. He grabbed the blanket that was draped over the back of the lounge and covered her up, tucking her in tight around the sides like he always did with Alexis. He walked around and turned some lights on to brighten her dark apartment.

"Is there anything I can get for you?" he asked not really sure what he should do next.

She took a deep relaxed breath and nodded, "Yeah, could you get me a water, please?"

He nodded and headed towards the kitchen. He grabbed two water bottles and headed back to the couch. After opening and handing hers to her, he sat down next to her.

"It feels so nice to be home and out of that hospital," she said after taking a small sip of her water.

"Tell me about it," he replied. "I never want to see another hospital in my life."

She studied him for a minute. He had been there the entire time. He had slept there for the first few nights before she had woken up. And like clockwork, he returned every day to keep her company until she was released. She couldn't think of another person, aside form maybe her mother, that would do that for her.

"Thank you," she said looking over at him. "For being there. I know I bugged you about it and told you to go home, but thank you for always coming back."

"There's nowhere else I would have been," he returned looking deep into her eyes and giving her the slightest of smiles.

They sat there for a minute. Looking at each other. But it wasn't awkward. At that moment, they both realized how lucky they were to be sitting in her apartment, with each other.

Kate was the one to break the silence first. "I think I'm going to take a bath," she said as she removed the blanket from her lap.

"Okay," Castle said as he got up to help her up. "Let me draw the water for you."

Kate simply nodded as she took his hands and let him help her to her bedroom. He walked into the bathroom and came out with her bathrobe and handed it to her. "I'll just stay in the bathroom while you change," he said looking at his feet and handing her the robe.

She couldn't believe she was about to say this, but she realized she was going to need some help. "Rick, do you think maybe you could help me get my jacket off? I'm still pretty sore," she finished giving him a small smile and a shrug of her shoulders.

He nodded as he walked behind her and gently removed the jacket from her shoulders and down her arms. He felt her tense at the pain and remembered at that moment that the nurse had helped her get dressed in the hospital.

He placed her jacket on her bed and without her having to ask he gently lifted her arms and began to remove her shirt. Again he felt her tense.

"Relax. I promise no funny stuff, Detective," he said as he guided the shirt up her shoulders and over her head.

Kate swallowed hard, "I uh, I think I can do the rest myself," she said. "Thank you."

He smiled and nodded and went back into the bathroom to turn off the water. He placed a few bath beads in the tub and lit the candles she had sitting next to the tub. When he came out he told her that the water was ready and that he would be in the living room if she needed anything.

He shut her bedroom door and walked over to the couch. For the first time since they had left the hospital he really took the time to breathe. He couldn't believe they were back in her apartment. For a moment, a few days ago, he didn't know if he was going to see the inside of her apartment again. He quickly shook those negative thoughts out of his head and got up to prepare something for her to eat. He assumed after living on hospital food for two weeks she would be ready for a real meal. He only hoped that she would have something edible he could work with in the kitchen.

About an hour later Kate came out with her bathrobe on and her hair tied into a loose pony tail with the exception of a few strands that decided to escape.

When Rick saw her heading towards the kitchen, he had to physically shake his head to stop himself from staring. She looked beautiful.

"Hey, feeling a little better?" he asked as she pulled out a bar stool and sat down.

"Much," she nodded. "Something smells good," she added looking around her kitchen.

"I decided to whip a little something up while you were in the bath. I figured you had to be starving after surviving on that stuff they claim to be food at the hospital," he said as he got two plates down from one of her cupboards.

She couldn't help but notice how much of a natural he was in the kitchen, in her kitchen. Granted he only made a bag of ready-made pasta from her freezer, but it was still a sight that put a small smile on her face.

"I'll go set the table," she said as she started to get up.

"No, no you won't. You just go sit on the couch. I'm the chef, I'll set the table," he said as he ushered her into her living room.

A couple minutes later he had the table set with the dishes of pasta and two glasses of water. He had also laid her medication out figuring it was probably time that she took more. He walked over to the living room and reached his hands out to help her up, "Dinner is served," he added with a french accent that he had heard on a cooking show once.

They ate the majority of their dinner in silence. Kate was surprised at how hungry she actually was. However, she wasn't sure if she would be able to stomach _real_ food so she took it slow.

After she had cleared most of her plate she took a sip of water and said, "Thanks for dinner, Castle. Who knew you were such a genius in the kitchen?"

"Wait until tomorrow morning when I make you my infamous s'morelette," he returned playfully.

She laughed, "No, Alexis warned me about the s'morelette once before and I think I'm going to have to pass this time," she added with a crinkle of her nose.

"You're loss," he said. "Besides you don't even have the extensive ingredients it takes to prepare such a dish."

"You mean eggs, chocolate, marshmallows and gram-crackers? Real extensive, Castle," she said not being able to help the huge smile that spread across her face.

"You have no idea, Detective. No idea," he said with a wink.

She only shook her head and laughed. "I'd offer to clean up since you cooked but I figure you're just going to tell me to go sit down, right?" she asked.

He shook his head, "You know me so well. I will clean up and I would like for you to go sit down. Can I get you anything else?" he asked as he helped her get up.

"Nope, I think I can manage while you clean up the kitchen, Castle," she said as she walked towards the couch. She sat down and he again covered her with the fleece blanket and nodded his head when she gave him a quite thanks.

After he cleaned up the kitchen he came into the living room and sat down next to her, just like he had before. He handed her a cup of coffee he had made to keep her warm.

After a few moments of silence Kate spoke up. "Castle, are we...are we ever going to talk about what happened? At the funeral."

He looked at her over the rim of his coffee mug. "What do you mean?" he asked not quite sure what she was getting at. He definitely had some questions about what had happened at the funeral after she had been shot. Or maybe just one question that pertained to how much she remembered from those seconds after the bullet went though her, but he wasn't really sure when would be the right time to bring all of that up.

"I mean...you were willing to take a bullet for me," she said looking deep into his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess I was. It all happened so fast. I just reacted. Sorry I tackled you," he said trying his best to keep the conversation light.

"Are you really apologizing for tying to save my life?" she asked giving him a look that told him just how silly what he had just said was.

After another moment of silence Rick spoke, "I wish it would have been me."

"Castle..." Kate tried to stop him.

"No, I mean it, Kate. Seeing you lying there, knowing there was nothing I could do, seeing the lights go out..." he shook his head, "It was awful. I felt so helpless. Like there was nothing I could do to make you hold on." He had no idea he was going to be so honest with her. He hadn't planned on telling her how terrified he was at seeing her lying helpless in the grass. They hadn't really talked about it yet.

She nodded in understanding and placed her hand on his thigh, "I'm okay, Castle. I'm alive. There was nothing you could have done and I don't want you blaming yourself. It was no one's fault," she finished giving him a reassuring smile.

"I know," he nodded. "It just scared me. Don't ever get shot on me again," he let out only half joking.

"Trust me, I'll try not to. It doesn't feel to good," she answered.

They sat there again, not saying anything just soaking up the moment. She really was going to be alright and they were both beginning to come to terms with that.

Kate took a deep breath and continued, "There's something else I wanted to talk about," she said bringing her gaze back to his eyes.

He had a feeling he knew where this was going and it scared the hell out of him. "What's that?"

She took a deep breath willing herself to continue, "When I was lying in the grass. I don't remember much. All I could think about was the pain and I'm not even sure if I imagined this or if it actually happened..."

Rick cut her off. He knew exactly where she was going with this, "Kate, I was so afraid I was going to lose you. And just thinking about actually losing you and knowing that there was so much left unsaid between us...so much I wanted to tell you," he paused and took a deep breath.

"Seeing you lying there, watching you slip away, I couldn't let you go without telling you...how I feel," he finished searching her eyes trying to see if she was understanding what he was saying. "I wasn't sure if I would get another chance."

"Rick," she said again placing her hand on his thigh. "I'm glad you did. It was the last thing I heard before the pain took over and I slipped into unconsciousness. Your words, they stayed with me the entire time. Even when I finally woke up, and you were by my side, all I could think about was what you said to me," she finished subconsciously brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"I wasn't sure if you heard me," he said picking up one of her hands and covering it with his.

She looked down at her hand that was now in his, "I've wanted to talk to you about this since I woke up, but I didn't want to do it at the hospital and then I wasn't sure if I had only imagined it or if you had changed your mind or just said it because you thought I was dying..." she trailed off looking back down at their entangled fingers.

"Kate," he said gently as he lifted her face up to look at him. "I could never change my mind. My mind has been set since the moment we met. Watching you slip away might have pushed me to tell you how I feel, but it's not the reason I told you. I told you...I told you because I love you. Kate, I'm in love with you. I have been for so long now," he let out keeping his gaze locked with hers.

She looked deep into his eyes as the tears started to well up in hers. "I love you too, Rick. So much."

He let out a sigh at her admission. He had waited so long to hear her say those words to him. He scooted closer and placed his hand that wasn't wrapped in hers on her cheek and stroked back and forth. "Can I kiss you, Kate?" he asked

"Yes," she laughed out as a few tears ran down her cheeks. "Yes, Rick, you can kiss me."

That was all he needed. He leaned in and with his hand that was already on her cheek he pulled her forward and placed a light kiss on her lips. As soon as he felt her surrender to the kiss he deepened it and kissed her for all he was worth.

Passion took over and he moved even closer until he was able to wrap his arm around her waist. He began to lay her down onto the couch. "Ow...okay, Rick," she said with a light breathless laugh. "I think we're going to have to take this slow," she let out as he pulled her back up with an apologetic smile on his face.

"I think you're right," he said as he placed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. "We wouldn't want you ripping a stitch, now would we?"

"No that wouldn't be good," she said as she leaned back to look into his eyes. She brushed her hand over his cheek, placed a soft kiss on his lips and rested her head in the crook of his neck. She let out a sigh that was full of content. She was so glad to finally be home. In his arms, where she belonged.

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><p><em>The end! Thoughts?<em>


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